Hello, everyone! Happy (belated) Valentine's Day!
Oh wow. It has been awhile since I last published a new story for Kingdom Hearts. Especially a holiday themed one. I believe the previous one was the Valentine fic that was published in 2015. Gosh, time sure flies when you're busy. But, hey! Here's a new Valentine's Day one-shot for you all!
This story has nothing to do with the holiday per se, but it is a romance story I would like to share. You know why? Cause it's semi-based on a true event that happened to yours truly last year. I just find it story-worthy and well, turned it into a story. For those who are curious about what part of the story is true and what's not, I'll share some at the end of the fic.
Please pardon any mistakes, especially my grammar. I'm trying my best to improve.
No more blabbering. I hope you will enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: I only own the storyline. Everything else belongs to their respective owners.
L.U.G.
Love knows no boundaries; not age, time or place.
Although, the more common places are school, the place of work, and the nightclub or bar. However, she knew she wouldn't find love in these areas. After all, she was no longer a student, she couldn't handle a relationship with a co-worker, and she's definitely not going to a nightclub.
So, she expected other places, like the park, library, café or even the public transport. But never, ever, did Xion Valentine expect her love to come from lining up to buy a ticket.
~*~*~ L.U.G. ~*~*~
"Oh, my Kingdom Hearts…" Xion muttered to herself once she saw the line to the convention center. It was horrifyingly long; stretched so far down the sidewalk she could hardly see the end. Not wanting to lose any more time, Xion quickly crossed the road and followed all the other people to where the line started.
After hurried down the sidewalk for almost 5 minutes, Xion finally spotted a staff wearing a maroon-colored T-shirt, holding a sign in his hand over his head. 'Comic Extravaganza 2016! The line starts here.' was printed on it in big bold format.
'Finally!' Xion thought in relief and got into line.
The short-haired noirette watched the staff rounded a corner and continued down the sidewalk, the queue continued growing nonstop. Thank goodness she didn't come too late; even though her current situation wasn't good either.
'Come on, Xion,' she thought to herself. 'You brought this upon yourself. You knew about the tram schedule yet you snoozed all the alarms! If you didn't, you would be here so much earlier and don't have to stand under the 10 am sun. Suck it up and deal with this. But first…'
Xion fished her smartphone out of her pocket then opened a chat application. Tapped on the correct chat group, she began to type.
"Hey, Namine. I'm lining up now. How's everything inside?" — Xion
Her phone let out a 'Ting~' as her friend replied to her.
"Oh hey Xion! You're here later than you said you will.
"We reached our booths and currently setting it up. The line was bad even for us vendors.
"The line must be awful for you too." — Namine
The noirette let out a humorless chuckle then replied.
"Oh man. Don't need to remind me. Took me 5 minutes to get in line. It'll take me forever to get into the building.
"And yeah. Was packing last night, so I slept late." — Xion
That was true. She spent the previous night packed up her clothes and laptop, readied to go back to her hometown for a 3 days' break after she returned from the ACG (Animation, Comics, and Games) event.
"Oh ya. You mentioned that before. Your dad will come to fetch you, right?" — Namine
"Yup. Around 5, so I'll have to leave the latest by 4 p.m." — Xion
"Alright then. Sorry to cut this convo short, but gotta help Aqua set up her booth; she brought a lot of arts and crafts to sell.
"Let me know once you got in, alright?" — Namine
"Sure. Tell Aqua and Riku I said 'Hi!' See you later." — Xion
Xion sent the last message and smiled when Namine responded with a thumbs-up sticker. She closed the app then plugged in her earphone. Put them comfortably into her ears, she opened a game to play and pass the time.
As time went by, the line advanced forward slowly, and Xion would look up from her game once awhile to examine the people who walked past her. It was the weekend, thus the city was bursting with life and activity. There were families, tourists, teens, and when she saw the cosplayers, she knew they would be joining the line, which must be longer than when she first arrived.
While Xion was distracted by inspecting a very detailed and well-made steampunk costume a cosplayer was wearing, she didn't notice the traffic on the sidewalk was slowed by both the queue and a group of cosplayers who was possibly waiting for their friend. The man in front of her had walked forward a few steps, created a gap just enough for a person to walk past, and someone did exactly that. However, his frame was wider, so his shoulder bumped into the noirette.
Xion felt herself tumbling backward from the sudden knock and tried to steady herself. Nevertheless, she ended up bumping into the person lining up behind her. A hand landed on her shoulder to help her catch her footing, and once she did, the hand disappeared as fast as it appeared.
Embarrassed, Xion turned to face the person she bumped into and apologized, "Sorry about that."
The young adult behind her gave her a friendly smile. "It's alright."
She returned him a nod and an abashed smile before turning back and caught up to the line.
Everything went back to normal; The line continued onwards like a slow current and Xion's attention went back to the RPG game she was playing earlier. During a loading screen, the black background reflected her face as well as the boy behind her. She tilted her phone, trying to get a better angle to look at the blond.
She was in such a panic earlier that she didn't give him a good look. The only thing she noticed was his blond hair and height — approximately a head taller than her. Once she was able to reflect his whole face, the game was loaded and switched to a level, not giving the noirette much time to look. However, she had seen enough to come to a conclusion: He's quite handsome.
'Great, Xion. A good-looking guy is right behind you, and you made a fool of yourself… There goes your first impression.' She grumbled to herself in her mind, then returned to her game, not wanting to remember what happened.
After walked across a pedestrian crossing and past a bus stop, Xion heard a commotion from the front of the line. She looked up from her phone and plucked one earphone out; curious of what happened. Not far from her were two female teenagers walking down the queue, trying to sell an extra ticket to anyone who is interested. One guy in a group of three stopped advancing and asked the girls for the selling price. As they continued to bargain, the line before them had moved quite far away.
'Should I cut the line? They are taking quite awhile…' While Xion was debating with herself, a familiar voice spoke up from behind, "Let's cut."
A person with blond hair walked past her and the group of teenagers, towards where the queue was severed. The people behind him followed his action, and Xion decided to join them; she'll be too far behind if she continued to wait.
And oh, boy. The gap between the queue and the teenagers was surprisingly huge; she couldn't even spot the queue. She hurried down the sidewalk and finally able to spot the line of people among other city dwellers. However, some people who thought the gap was where the line starts had joined in, thus she had been pushed back from her previous spot.
'Oh, well. It wasn't their fault,' Xion thought and was about to accept it when she noticed someone was beckoning from in front. She craned her head to get a better look and felt her heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was.
It was the guy who lined up behind her earlier.
'Is he… beckoning me?' Xion blinked thrice, looked around her, and then pointed at herself questionably.
The blond smiled, nodded and gestured for her once more.
As if in a trance, she left her spot and walked towards him. 'Is he… Is he doing what I think he is?'
Once she got near him, Xion found out that her guess was right. There was a space in front of him; space large enough for another person to stand in.
The noirette looked at the gap, then at him, not dare to make a move.
The blond must have understood her voiceless question, for he nodded and motioned her to get in front of him.
He saved a spot.
He saved a spot for her.
Xion felt as if she fell into a pool of warmth due to his kind action; most people wouldn't even care, especially in a queue. A genuine smile spread across her face. "Thank you," she told him, then promptly rejoin the line.
For the rest of the queue, Xion was very aware of the guy's presence behind her. She tried to not think about him too much, but whenever the game she was playing entered the loading screen, she got another peek of his reflection. Unlike her, he had a pair of headphones on, and his eyes were looking at the city they were in instead of his phone.
Xion bit her lower lip, not familiar with the fluttering feeling in her stomach after his generous act. She thought of striking up a conversation with him, but she was shy, nervous and couldn't think of a topic. She didn't know what to do… So she did nothing.
Once they were near to the building's entrance, the queue split into two different line. One was for those who had the early-bird tickets, and the other for those who wanted to buy the tickets on site. Xion followed the line for 'Newcomers' and surprise, surprise, the guy was in the same line. The noirette tried not to pay that little coincidence attention and continued onwards, the most important thing on her mind since she arrived was to get into the convention and find her friends as quick as possible.
The line loosened up once she entered the building, which was a decent-sized shopping mall with a convention center built at the back. Wanted to get to the ticket line faster, Xion jogged off, following the signs to her destination, the blond guy momentarily forgotten.
Passing cosplayers, shoppers and seemingly lost ticket buyers (the signs were not clear enough), Xion followed a group of people to the 3rd floor and finally reached the huge room where the ticket queue continued. The room was spacious, approximately two and a half basketball courts in depth, and most of the space was used for the "zig-zag" queue to the 10 ticket stations at the side of the room.
The noirette frowned, unamused that the line indoor was as bad as outdoor's. Nevertheless, she was so close now, she can endure the dull pain in her feet a little longer. Like an obedient sheep, Xion queued up with the other people in an organized manner.
By that time, the 'stamina' in the game she had been playing had run out, and a full recharge would take 3 hours. She exited the game, switched to the music app and started a playlist. Just then, she received a notification from the chat. Opened the app, Xion realized it was from Namine. The message read: "Hey, Xion. It has been an hour. Where are you?"
The noirette quickly replied, "Still lining up. But I can see the ticket booths now. Est another 30 minutes, I guess."
"Oh, man. Pity you. Coming in would be a hassle too; this place is filling up fast." — Namine
"I can guess. Wait." Xion turned her phone sideway then snapped a picture of the line in front of her. Satisfied with it, she sent that picture over to Namine. "Just in case you're wondering how bad the line is."
"Yikes. I hope you will get in sooner." — Namine
"I hope so too. I have something to tell you once we meet up." — Xion
"Oh? What is it about?" — Namine
"Something that happened while I'm lining up. It's best to say this face-to-face." — Xion
"Sure, we can talk over lunch too. I have to rush a few commissions. Update me once you're in, alright?" — Namine
"Kay~" Sending that last message, Xion dropped her phone into the safety of her pockets.
With nothing else to do, Xion nonchalantly observed the people in the room. As usual, there are cosplayers, some families, a handful of foreigners (proven by their accent and language), but the majority of the crowd was made up of teenagers and young adults like her.
Xion turned to look at the line behind her and froze.
Separated by 8 people between them, stood the blond guy from before, headphones over his ears and hands in his pants' pockets.
Xion quickly looked away, hoping he had not spotted her yet. She felt her heartbeat increased, and her breathing turned shallow. Why was she feeling like this? Against her (probably) better judgment, she peeked over her shoulder and looked at the guy again. She was right; he was good-looking, especially now she can see him fully. He has spiky blond hair, blue eyes, a lean yet well-built figure, and dressed up quite nicely too.
Damn. A part of her wanted to try talking to him again since her attention was off the game, but they were so far away from each other. Maybe…
With all the courage she could muster, she partially turned to him and beckoned.
It took a few seconds for him to notice, and a look of surprise flashed across his face once he saw her. She sent him a small wave then gestured to the small space she managed to make in front of her. The blond seems to catch her message quickly, for he smiled and shook his head.
The noirette gestured again, in a silent 'Are you sure?' He nodded and mouthed a 'Thank you' back to her.
Xion felt her cheeks went warm as she nodded back and dropped her hand. He rejected to move up the line, probably since the distance wasn't large, but the girl felt a little disappointed. Oh well. At least she tried.
At three-fourths of the queue, the line had a U-turn, and she made the turn like everyone else. At that instant, she realized she would pass by the blond guy. Xion unconsciously turned to look at him and felt her heart jumped to her throat because the guy was looking at her too.
He grinned then asked, "Done with your game, huh?"
His question snapped Xion out of her reverie. "P-Pardon?"
The blond did a hand motion that was similar to tapping on a phone single-handedly. "Your game. Finished?"
'He noticed that?!' Xion gulped, "U-Um. Yeah."
He gave her a nod of acknowledgment before the line moved again and they were separated once more.
For the rest of the queue, Xion's cheeks were pink and warm. The guy was quite observant; noticed that she had been gaming. Who knows what else had he noticed about her? If he did, that is… She could only hope she had done nothing embarrassing unknowingly.
As she neared the ticket booths, Xion's mind jumped back to her initial plan: Buy the ticket, get in, and find Namine. Everything else was forgotten as her mind focused on the end goal. Once it was her turn, Xion quickly bought the 'Day 1' ticket of this two days' event, strapped the wrist ticket on, and hurried off to the convention center in a heartbeat.
Comic Extravaganza was just as loud and busy as she remembered, which was to be expected for it is one of the largest and longest-running ACG events where tens of thousands of comic artists, illustrators, cosplayers and fans of the culture gather annually.
This time, the event was split into 2 different sections: Hall A & B.
Hall A was where universally well-known brands exhibit their products, as well as where the main stage was located. On the second level, which overlooks the event below, were set up with numerous food stalls selling varieties of cuisines and drinks. Tables and chairs were also placed out for the people to sit down and eat.
Xion's destination was Hall B, which was where independent creative artists set up art booth to sell their own arts, comics, and merchandises. With the help of the map provided by the ticket seller, Xion scanned for the booth row where her friend was and continued her way.
The hall was filled with people, activities and loud chattering. It was impossible not to bump into other people as Xion made her way to the other side of the hall, passing by booths selling art books, costumes, action figures, and much more.
After squeezing through the crowd like a sardine, Xion finally reached her friend's booth. Namine Caelum's head was down, concentrating on a piece of art commission she had received. The blonde didn't even notice her raven-haired friend had arrived until Xion playfully pat her on the head. "Yo, Nami!"
Namine jumped in her seat by the sudden tap, almost ruining the art with the ink pen she held in her hand. "Kingdom Hearts, Xion. Don't do that," she pouted.
"Sorry, Nam. How's the sale?" Xion inquired, looking over at the arts Namine had displayed out on the booth while storing her earphones away.
"It was alright. A bit slow, but it's still only noon." Namine capped her drawing pen then instructed, "Come on over. You can enter from the end of the row."
Xion nodded then promptly walked down the row of booths. All the art booths were placed side-by-side, thus the entrance to the other side of the booth was from the start and end of the row. After squeezing through the sardine-packed crowd once again, Xion made to the end and entered the 'Artists' Zone' — which she preferred to call it.
"So, I'm here," Xion chirped once she reached Namine's booth. The noirette looked to the stall next to her friend's and noticed a silver-haired guy accepted a buyer's money before passing their orders over the table. "Riku? Why are you taking care of Aqua's booth? Where's Aqua?"
"Nice to see you too, Xion," Riku joked before tending to another buyer. Aqua's crafts were selling like hot cakes!
"Aqua went to a mini-event over at Hall A," Namine filled her in. "She's one of the featured artists, and she will be demonstrating how she made her Wayfinder charms."
Xion could only nod. "Oh, I see. Anyway, Namine, about that something I want to tell you..."
"I remember. Why don't we go get our lunch first and then we talk?"
Xion nodded, the hour and a half queue had made her quite famished. "Sure."
After Namine placed the 'Artist Is Away' card on her booth and asked her boyfriend what he would like for lunch, both the blonde and noirette left to Hall A to buy their meal.
After spending 15 minutes going through all the food choices and beverages, the two girls secretly stuffed the purchased food into Xion's bag and successfully smuggled their lunch into Hall B. Once back in the Artists' Zone, the 3 young adults each took their own meal and began to eat.
"That's all you're having?" Namine asked, eyeing the single sandwich in the noirette's hands. "Aren't you starving?"
Xion smiled sheepishly. "I was… Just that, when I thought of what happened, my appetite diminished." She scratched her neck nervously then added, "That's what I wanna tell you about."
Namine tilted her head curiously. There were a few more commissions that she needs to do, but she can make enough time to hear her friend out. "Okay, tell me then."
And Xion did. She told her about how she first knew of him from the accidental bump, him saved a spot for her, him rejected to move up the line with a smile, and finally when he asked her about the game she had been playing. Throughout the sharing, Xion felt her cheek flushed with embarrassment, while Namine simply listened intently as she nibbled on her chicken nuggets.
Once Xion was done with her story, Namine was in a state of awe. Her tomboyish friend found herself an eye candy, and this guy was the first guy to ever show some kind of interest in Xion! "What's his name? Did you get his name?"
Xion let out a low, humorless chuckle then shook her head. "I didn't… I was too nervous to even talk to him, Nami. What do you expect?"
"Oh gosh. You should at least get his name! Ahh. Why didn't you guys talk?!"
"I told you, Nami. I was nervous! I was so scared too," Xion repeated with a small smile, for she knew very well she had ruined the possible chance of knowing someone. But, she was so anxious, she couldn't think straight. "Oh well. It already happened, so we can't do anything now."
Namine sighed and gave her friend a small pout. "I know… Gosh, I want to lecture you so much. Kingdom Hearts, that was so novel-like. I find it sweet that he had saved a spot for you, you know? It's such a shame."
"Yeah. I know." Xion finished her banana milk with a final gulp then tossed the empty bottle into a plastic bag with other trash. "Better luck next time, I guess?"
"It better be," Namine muttered, finishing up her lunch too. "So, what's your plan here?"
It turned out Xion had no plans for the convention; she only wanted to come and support her friends. Since she had been to the event in the previous year, she knew she won't be buying much, especially with such a crowd.
In the end, she decided to help Namine with the stall, so she could focus on finishing up all her art commissions. Namine was reluctant at first, but Xion eventually managed to persuade her to let her help, and the blonde gave in. After briefing the price for each item she had on sale to the noirette, Namine returned to her drawing and Xion got to relive the days she sells items in her high school's bazaar event.
The sale has been a tad slow, but it wasn't bad. With a bit of courage, and conversing with the passing-by buyers, Xion managed to help Namine sold off several bookmarks and copies of her original comic. Everything was going well until she spotted him coming down the booths.
'Yikes!' Xion did the only thing she knew in this situation: Hide.
Namine was caught off-guard by the sudden blur beside her, she almost dropped her pen. She turned to find her friend squatting next to her, hugging her legs to her chest. "What are you doing, Xion?"
The noirette was so shocked she could hardly speak. "I-It's him…"
"Who?" Namine raised an eyebrow.
"Him! U-Um… L.U.G.!"
"Luck?" The blonde was even more confused. "What are you trying to say?"
Xion turned to face her friend, cheeks were flushed pink and anxiousness was written all over her face. "No! Not 'luck'! It's h-him! L.U.G.! Line-Up Guy!"
So that was what L.U.G. meant. "Really? Where?" Namine looked up and scanned the moving crowd. "What does he looked like, Xion?"
"Spiky blonde hair. Blue eyes. Tell me once he passed by, please," Xion pleaded, not dared to peek out from her hiding spot.
Namine glanced over the sea of people but saw no one that fitted her friend's descriptions. "I don't see him, Xion. Did he pass by here already?"
"Did he?" Xion slowly peeked over the booth and true to Namine's words, she didn't see him too. Was she seeing things? She let out a sigh of relief then stood up. "Thank Kingdom Hearts."
"Why are you so freaked out? It could be your chance," the blonde questioned, watching Xion dusted herself.
Xion bit her lower lip then confessed, "I don't know what to say to him…"
Namine simply nodded and returned to the art commission. Xion went back to calling out potential buyers to purchase her friend's work as if nothing had happened.
"Thank you for your support. You can keep up to date by following Namine Caelum on her social networking sites. Thank you once again." Xion informed the female buyer as she handled her orders in a plastic bag. She noticed someone approached the booth at the corner of her eye and turned to greet them, "Hello. See anything you're interest—" Her voice failed once she saw his face.
It was L.U.G.
The blond guy looked equally surprised by her appearance, as the two of them stood there, stunned. It would have gone on much longer if it wasn't for Namine's intervention. "How can we help you, sir?" The question snapped the two of them out of their stare, and Xion quickly broke the eye contact.
"A-Ah, yes. I am interested in the comics. What's the story about?" The blond guy turned to ask Namine, who promptly gave him the synopsis. "A coup d'état story with magic? That's intriguing. You're the artist, I believe? Your art style and coloring are very nice."
"Thank you~" The female blonde smiled from the compliment.
"I'll have a copy of the comic and this bookmark," the guy told Namine, and she nodded.
"Alright. That would be 75 munny. Xi?"
"O-Oh. Right. The bookmark is?" Xion opened up the suitcase where Namine kept her stock then pulled out Chapter 1 & 2 of her original comic.
"The main character, Ianevan." Namine told her and she pulled out the correct character bookmark. After placing the 3 items into a clear plastic bag, Xion turned back to the booth, not noticing the guy shoved something into his pocket in a hurry.
"Here's your order." Xion quickly glanced at Namine and took note that the guy had already paid. "Thank you for your support. You can keep yourself updated by following Namine Caelum's social networking sites." She handed the items out to the blond, who gingerly accepted it.
"Thank you too," he said with a smile then added, "I hope you'll sell a lot."
Xion managed a nod before he turned and disappeared among the people.
The noirette was unaware she was holding her breath until Namine pat her on the back. "Darn, Xi. I can see why you are bewitched by him; He's a looker."
"Shush it, Nami," Xion said, although she didn't disagree with her. "We don't want Riku to be jealous now, do we?"
Namine simply waved a hand. "Don't worry about him. After all, this L.U.G. is yours."
"He's not mine, Nami. For all we know, he could be taken."
"Or single."
"What if he's younger than me? Or way older?"
"He looked around your age to me. Maybe 2 years older at most?"
"Oh, stop it, Nam. We didn't even know each other's name." Xion felt a tug of disappointment at that statement. "Plus, we wouldn't see each other again anyway."
"Why not?"
"I lived in Radiant Garden, worked in Twilight Town, and this event is held in Disney City. I think the chance of us meeting again is very slim, Nam." The noirette pointed out, absentmindedly scratching the back of her neck.
"But you never know. If it's meant to be, you two would be in contact again," Namine said, beaming ear to ear.
Xion gave her friend a strange look. "You sure you're not the one who has a crush on him? You're acting all weird after talking to him."
Namine shook her head, but the smile still present on her face. "You're thinking too much, Xion. I'm just so happy that you met someone like that! He's quite a gentleman; totally your kind of guy."
The noirette let out a soft laugh. "You always say my 'future husband' will be a gentleman. I hope your prediction is right."
"Trust me. My gut feeling is never wrong," Xion's friend said certainly then continued her art commissions.
Xion let out a soft sigh and brushed a hand through her hair. Not going to lie, she did hope that she will get to know L.U.G. better. However, when she thought about her routine in her everyday life, the chance of them meeting again was slim to none. 'I guess he's an eye candy and nothing more.'
For the next few hours, Xion managed to sell the last Inktober postcard set away and met up with Aqua. She also walked around the hall and bought some cute arts before it was time for her to leave, unless she wants to face her father, Vincent Valentine's wrath for been tardy.
Bidding her friends farewell and wished them a good sale for the rest of the day and tomorrow, Xion packed up and left Comic Extravaganza behind.
The journey back to her rented accommodation was tiring, to say the least. The tram was crammed with people, and all the seats were taken, so she spent the whole trip back standing. Her legs were screaming in pain for standing over 5 hours, but there was nothing she can do but to cope with it. Thankfully, her stop was only a few stations away after all.
After what felt like forever, the tram pulled up at Twilight Town station and Xion quickly got off. She took out her phone and checked the time. '4.35 p.m. I still have time,' She thought in relief then began to walk back to her residence at a slow, leisure pace, her feet could only take so much.
At 5 p.m. sharp, Xion's father showed up outside the building. The noirette greeted him with a hug, then allowed her father to help bring her small suitcase to the trunk. She had just locked the front door and about to get into the car when her phone rang. Taking out her phone, Xion raised a brow when an unfamiliar number was shown on the screen.
"Who's calling, muffin?" Her father asked from the driver's door. "Is it a boy?"
"I don't know, dad. But I have to get this, okay?"
"Sure. I'll be in the car if you need me." Xion nodded and watched her father entered the driver's seat. The phone continued to ring until she tapped on the 'Accept' button. Could it be a co-worker? Was there an urgent matter?
She brought the device up to her ear and spoke, "Hello?"
"Oh! Hello. U-Um… Is this… X-Xi?" The male voice on the other side of the line asked uncertainly.
Xion felt her heart skipped a beat once she recognized the voice. It was L.U.G! How did he get her number?! "I-I am. Are you… the guy who lined up behind me at Comic Extravaganza?"
"Y-Yeah, I am." She heard him let out what sounded like a sigh before he continued with a nervous chuckle, "I thought I might have gotten the wrong number."
"You don't… But, how exactly did you get my number?" Xion questioned. She could feel her knees growing weak from this sudden call.
"Your... friend gave it to me. She wrote it on her name card when you were getting my order."
Xion closed her eyes and almost facepalmed. Now she knew why Namine was so ecstatic. "I see. Wow. I did not expect her to give out my number so easily."
He chuckled nervously once more. "Y-Yeah. I was shocked myself when she practically shoved the card to me." He cleared his throat. "B-But um… I called you cause I... I was wondering if you wanna meet up."
Xion felt her cheeks blushed deep red and went speechless. Her silence must have made the guy uneasy for he quickly added, "Of course, I didn't mean right now. I don't even know where you currently are. U-Um… Oh, Kingdom Hearts… U-Um…"
Not wanting the guy to feel awkward, Xion cut in, "N-No. No, it's fine. It's just… this is quite a surprise."
"Yeah. I know. Sorry if I disturbed you, actually. This is quite out of the blue," he apologized in such a sincere voice that Xion felt her insides melt.
"No. It's fine, trust me. You didn't disturb me." Xion wet her lips. "And… I do want to meet up with you."
"R-Really?! Oh. W-Wow. Um… When will you be free?"
Xion reviewed her schedules in her mind before answering, "The next weekend would be the safest. But I'll be in Twilight Town though. So…"
"Twilight Town? Oh. That's quite a coincidence. I would be at Twilight Town for the next few months; I'll be transferred to a branch office there next Tuesday onwards." The blond informed, excitement laced his voice. "Is it alright if I call you again? Once I found a place where we can meet up?"
"Sure," Xion could practically hear the guy smiled on the other side.
"That's great. Oh! Gosh! I haven't even tell you my name," he murmured something under his breath then continued, "My name is Roxas Strife. And you, miss?"
The noirette felt her body temperature rose at his formality as she answered with her own introduction, "Xion. Xion Valentine."
"Xion… It's a pleasure to know you."
She would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous and scared for the "meet up". But when she heard his voice, she couldn't help but smile and think that maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she thought.
"It's a pleasure to know you too, Roxas."
THE END
That's the end. Thank you so much for reading! Why not leave a review to share me your thoughts? I would love to know what you guys think.
Alright, for those who are curious. This event took place last early December. I did wake up late to an ACG event of similar name and suffered the consequences by lining up approximately 500m long outside the building. Yup, just outside, from my starting point to the building's entrance. I have no idea how long the indoor queue was. Anyway, every interaction written between Roxas and Xion during the queuing are true, except for the bump. Instead, I stepped back to allow someone to pass through the line. He was like 1.5 heads taller than me, so it was easy to notice him when he towered over me. The real-life L.U.G. wasn't alone too; he was with a friend or a brother. More of a reason why I didn't start a conversation with him. Unlike this story, I didn't see him anymore after I got in and met up with my friend. I told her everything and she lectured me as if she is my mother. She still reminds me of my mistake to this day. XD So, everything that has to do with L.U.G. after the queue is fictional. Other than that, it had been a very different yet nice experience and lesson in life.
Well. I have nothing more to say. Thank you once again for reading and I hope you enjoyed this partial-true silly love life of mine. I hope to see you in my next KH fic: Charming and The Witch. :D